The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-12-23

! OF til ai,agaon OF field sports. CRY out 10
It in beia.f of the church OF God rs weIl a. 4
behalf of secular interests wish that thi
winter our ponds and our rivers and on
Capitoline grounds might be all awake witt
the heel and the shout of the swift skater.
| wish that when the warm weather comes tn
graceful oar might dip the stream ant
the evening tide be resonant will
boatman's song, the bright prov
| splitting the crystalline biliow. w,
shall have the smooth and grassy lawn, ans
we viii call out people of all occupations AMI
professions, and ask them to join in the bal
| players sport You viii come back from
these outdoor exercises and recreations will
strength in your arm, and color in you
cheek, and fash in yonr eye, and courage
| In your heart. In this great battle that 4
opening against the kingdom of darkness WI
want not only consecrated sound, but Z
strong arm and stout lungs and mighty
muscle. ] bless God that there are so many
recreations that have not on them any tain
Of iniquity; recreations in which We may
engage for the strengthening of the body
for the clearing of the intellect, for the illu
mination of the soul.
There is still another form of recreation
which l commend to you, and that is the
pleasure of doing good. / have seen young
men weak and cross and sour and repelline
In their disposition, who, by one heavenly
touch, have wakened up and become blessed
and buoyant, the ground under their feet and
thesky over their heads breaking forth into
music. "0h, says some young man In the
house today, 81 should like that recreation
above all others, but have not the means y
My dear brother, let us take an account OF
stocksthis morning. You have large estate,
If you only realize it. Two hands. Two feet.
You will have, perhaps, during the next year,
at least SO for charitable contribution. You
viii have twenty-five hundred cheerful looks,
If you want TO employ them. You viii have
five thousand pleasant words, If you want to
speak them. Now, what an amount that is
to start with.
You go out tomorrow morning and you
see case of real restitution by the way
side. You give him two cents. The blind
man hears the pennies rattle in bis hat, and
he says, Thank you, sir; God bless your
You pass down the street, trying tD-look in
different; but you feel from the very depth
Of your soul profound satisfaction that you
made that man happy. You go on still
farther, and find poor boy with wheel
barrow, trying to get it up on the crrbstone.
he fails in the attempt. You say, ''Stand
back, my lad; let me try Yen tt-,s it up
ON the curbstone for him, and pr: ca. BE
wonders who that well dressed man was that
helped him. You did kindness to the boy,
but you did great joy to your own soul.
You will not get over it oil the week.
On the street tomorrow morning you viii
see sick man passing along. 'Ah, /" you say,
what can do TO make this man happya He
certainly doesnot. want money; he is mot poor;
but he is sick" Give him one of those twenty
five hundred cheerful looks that you have gar
nered up for the whole year. Look joy and
hopefulness into his soul It viii thrill him
through, and there will be reaction upon
your own soul. Going little farther on you
win come to the store of friend who is en-
baTrassed in business matters. Yon will go In
and say, "What fine store you hayel I
think business viii brighten up, and you will
have more custom after awhile. think
there is coming great prosperity to allthe
country. Good morning" You pass out. You
have helped that young man, and you have
helped yourself. And that night you go
home; you sit by the fire, you talk little,
you sing little, you laugh little; you say:
~ really don't know what Is the matter with
me. Inever felt so splendidly in my life"
win tell what is the matter with you
You spent only two cents out of the SO; you
have contributed one out of twenty five hum
dred cheerful looks; you have given ten, If
teen or twenty of the five thousand pleasant
words you are going to speak during the
year; you have with your own hands helped
the boy with the wheelbarrow, and you feel
in body, mind and soul the thrill Of that
recreation. Which do you think was the
happier-Col. Gardiner, who sat with his
elbow on a table spread with all extravagant
viands, looking off at a dog on the
rug, saying: "How IAwould like to
change places with him; / be the
dog and he be Col Gardiner;;'' or
those two Moravian missionaries who wanted
to 60 into the lazaretto for the sake of attend
ing the sick, and they were told: eff You go
In there, you win never come out We never
allow any one to come out, for be would
bring the contagion." Then they made their
wills and went in, first to help the sick and
then to die Which was the happier, Col
Gardiner or the Moravian missionaries dying
for othersa- Was it all sacrifice when the
missionaries wanted to bring the Gospel to
the negroes at the Barbados, and, being
denied the privilege, sold themselves into
slavery, standing side by side and lying
side by side down in the very ditch Of
suffering, in order that they might bring
those men up to life and God and
heaven? Oh, there is thrill in the Joy OF
doing good 1t is the most magnificent re-
creation to which man ever puts his hand
or his head or his heart.
But, before closing, want to impress upon
at foundation for your soul to build on
was reading of woman who had gone
all the rounds Of sinful amusement, and she
came to die. She said, 81 win die tonight
at o'clock i'0h," they said, {" I guess
not, you don't seem to be sick.n ~ shall die
at 9 o'clock, and my soul will be lost /
know it will be lost / have sinned away
my day of grace" The noon came They
desired to seek religious counsel
"Oh,n she said, sit is of no use NY day is
gone. have been all the rounds of worldly
pleasure, and it is too late shall die to
night at 8 o'clock" The day wore away, and
It came to o'clock, and to o'clock, and she
cried out at o'clock, Destroyed spirits, ye
shall not have me yet; it is not 9, it is not
SIR The moments went by, and the shadows
began to gather, and the clock struck o; and
while it was striking her soul went. What
hour God viii call for us do not know
whether o'clock tonight, or 8 o'clock this
afternoon, or at 1 o'clock, or at this mo-
ment Sitting where you are, falling for
ward, or standing where you are, dropping
down, where would You go tot
But our hour for adjourning has already
come, and the last hour Of our life viii soon
be here, and from that hour We viii review